POLITICIAN • PRISONER • PARENT

A portrait of one of the most charismatic, yet unknown, global leaders.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy advocate in Myanmar, is once again behind bars. Her resounding victory in the elections and her re-election as political leader were overturned by the military coup of February 2021 - a move with disastrous consequences. Aung San Suu Kyi has been through this situation before, spending the first half of her political career under house arrest. This time she has disappeared into a prison in Naypyidaw, following a series of charges apparently aimed at keeping her out of politics and in complete obscurity for the rest of her life. This time she is trapped in a zero-sum game.

While she was canonized by the international community for her defense of democracy and human rights, she was later condemned for her refusal to address the genocidal campaign of the Buddhist army against the Rohingya. Aung San Suu Kyi's image remains almost unchanged within Myanmar. Her supporters call her "Amay Su" (Mother Su). Heir to her father's political and spiritual legacy, General Aung San, a hero of independence and martyr, she remains the beacon of national aspirations and the mother of a country in distress.

This book follows the transformation of Aung San Suu Kyi from the daughter of a national hero to the mother of Myanmar, placing her firmly within the framework of Buddhist notions of nationhood and motherhood, explaining her ongoing role as a leading figure in the country's struggles. The result is a unique portrait of a living legendary figure, captured by a fellow countrywoman and contemporary, novelist Wendy Law-Yone.

POLITICIAN: Decades devoted to the struggle for democracy in Myanmar, following her father Aung San's legacy as the founder of modern Burmese nationality.

PRISONER: Having already spent half of her political career under house arrest, in December 2022 Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in prison.

PARENT: To her exiled family and a country.

Pages: 80, Dimensions: 13.5x13.5cm